


Shooting Arrows in a Storm

by insomni_writing



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Losing Someone While The Storm Rages On, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:47:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28820970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insomni_writing/pseuds/insomni_writing
Summary: "You're not in love with me."
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Reader, Huang Ren Jun/You
Kudos: 4





	Shooting Arrows in a Storm

Like soaring waves so ravenous that dragging you to the bottom of the sea was their deepest desire, it was the sky that rumbled gravely above you and him without any mercy. Down at its core, the world seemed to shudder.

As your thumb stroked small circles against skin so cold, bright flashes jumped briefly through the murky window to paint shadows on the walls. With bated breath, the silhouettes’ fleeting existence was spent leering, observing gleefully how your fingertips traced the paths of veins spreading out like lightning on the inside of his wrist. Renjun’s breath fanned over your face, as chilly as the wind rattling the shutters as he observed you with dark and unreadable eyes. His chest moved slowly, even when you were achingly aware of his erratic heartbeat answering your touch. You didn’t look up when his body shivered underneath your gentle grip and teardrops, scorching and clear, splattered down onto your hand with a sense of finality. Fleetingly, you wondered: _were they your tears? His?_

Lightning illuminated your faces for a second and he knew.

“You’re not in love with me,” he finally realized, your heart dropping like a stone in your chest as your mouth curled grimly. Even among the thunder and the steady drumming of the rain against glass, it was all too easy to hear the tremors of Renjun’s voice while he spoke. It sounded like hesitant footsteps on porcelain shards, the branch of a tree knocking despondently against your window. There was no more reminiscence of warm whispers at night or soft laughter ringing in your ears.

Licking your dry lips, shoulders taut like the strings of a bow as you braced yourself to deny it, you opened your mouth – and you ached to say _no, Renjun, that’s not true, let’s clean up the shards from the ground and go to bed, oh, please don’t cry_ – only to close it again.

“No… No, I’m not,” came your desperate whisper as you caved in. Like the moon seeking refuge behind clouds to leave the night to drown in darkness, you lowered your gaze cowardly to stare at his comforting hold on your withdrawing hand. Something inside you wanted so desperately to tangle your fingers with his, cradle him, press your lips to the hand that held onto you, to the tears shimmering on his cheeks in the moonlight, a kiss against his wet lashes, the corner of his mouth, _his lips_ ; instead, your muscles tensed and your hands tightened into fists.

“It’s okay,” he soothed you and smiled so sorrowfully. When your glassy eyes raised to look at him, his face looked terribly wrong, sad and twisted as he tried to keep the upturn of his mouth. The lips you knew better by touch than by sight trembled, and the storm outside raged on.

“Don’t feel bad. I… expected this to happen. You had to tell me someday, right?” Renjun’s eyes crinkled, an imitation of happiness, and he squeezed your hand one last time – _and you knew soon he’d be forever gone, like he was never there_ – before letting go. It rested limply in your lap, slowly uncurling.

“Yeah… You’re right. This just isn’t– … I’m… I’m sorry, Renjun.”

A metallic glint, pointed and deadly, swirled and rushed across the sky, burrowing itself deeply into brittle wood as you stood up with unsteady movements. Looking down at Renjun, his shoulders slumped as his eyes refused to rest on anything but the cracks in the walls, the strange and unfamiliar smile finally slipping from his face, you wiped the splinters of your skin as you turned away.

“I’m sorry, too,” he whispered. The thunder drowned out the click of the door as it closed behind you.

And so the arrow hit its mark.

**Author's Note:**

> i hate reading about unrequited love but boy, do i like to write it...


End file.
